It seems appropriately timed to talk about Morgan Falls. I visited Morgan Falls in early October 2009. My friend and I were hoping to see brilliant fall colors in the Upper Peninsula, but the colors really hadn’t significantly changed yet. There were a few reds, yellows, and oranges that showed up in the pictures, but many of the trees were still green.

Getting to Morgan Falls isn’t too bad, though it does require some travels down a dirt road. The dirt road parallels the Carp River. The dirt road wasn’t too bad, especially compared to others I’ve been on. Once you get to the parking area, which really isn’t advertised, you’ll have to head downhill for a short distance. It’s moderately steep, but manageable. Once you get to Morgan Creek, there are two different ways to view the falls. One “viewpoint”, which is more easily accessed, views it side-on from the right. This view had a beautiful tree turning yellow, but you don’t get a complete view of the falls.

The other view requires you to cross Morgan Creek. If you look around, you will notice there is a wide log that has been placed over the creek. It was raining when we visited, so the log did look rather slippery, but we were both able to cross the log without accident! Once you get to left side of the creek, you’ll have to wander around to find the more head-on viewpoint. Morgan Creek and the Carp River merge right near where Morgan Falls is found, so you’ll notice a little “island” where people camp, even in October.

After initially crossing Morgan Creek, you can apparently hike to Carp River Falls also. It’s upstream from the merger point, about 1/2 mile from Morgan Falls. We didn’t have any luck finding the falls, but I also get the sense we may not have walked far enough. If you’re in the area, it’s probably worthwhile to check out both falls.

Directions:
1) In Marquette, you’re going to want to find Division St. Turn left on Division St. and head south out of Marquette. Division St. will turn into CR-553 after a ways.
2) Just before you reach the Marquette Mountain Ski Resort, there will be a dirt road on your right. If you reach the parking area for the resort, you’ve gone too far. On Google Maps, the dirt road appears as Marquette Mt Road, and I think that might have been what it was named on the GPS also.
3) Turn right on Marquette Mt Road, and head 1.4 miles to a parking area, which will be on your left. You’ll know you’re at the right area if you see a trail heading down to the stream below. There was more than enough room to turn around.
4) After parking, decide which view you want to get. If you want to see the falls head-on, cross the Morgan River.